France detects bird flu at duck farm
29 Aug 2022 09:29am
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The State Services (departmental directorate for the protection of populations) of Ain have highlighted an outbreak of avian influenza due to a strain of the H5N1 virus in a duck farm located in Saint-Nizier-le-Desert, Le Figaro reported, citing the prefecture of the Ain department.
An epidemiological investigation is underway as the suspicion of the bird flu infection follows the observation of abnormal mortality of the ducks on the farm, wrote Le Figaro adding that the first cluster of the high pathogenic bird flu was found on Saturday at the duck farm.
According to the local authorities, the cluster has been "depopulated and disinfected" and a protection zone of three km around the outbreak, and a surveillance and control zone of 10 km around the outbreak have been put in place.
Since November last year, France has reported more than 1,300 clusters of high pathogenic virus and ordered the cull of 20 million birds. From autumn 2020 to spring 2021, 500 clusters of high pathogenic bird flu were detected and 3.5 million birds were culled in the country. - BERNAMA
